Farewell, Santa Carla
by Erzsebeth Bathory
Summary: Maria wasn't worried about her future. She was young and charming to be around but oh, how she would miss the beautiful and lively beach atmosphere of Santa Carla. One-shot fanfic about Maria and Thorn.


**Author's note: **This fanfic takes place after the events of the original movie. I've always wondered what happened to Maria and Thorn, so this is my take on their fates. There's a considerable amount of twisting of Maria's character and background on my part. I may have failed with doing some proper research for this story. But hey, this is fiction so in my world, some of the things that occur within _can_ happen! C&Cs are always, always, always appreciated!

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p>"Farewell, Santa Carla"<p>

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><p>Maria pushed her way through the bustling crowds along the boardwalk, careful to keep her purse protectively against her side and her senses on high alert. She was breathing heavily as she struggled to stay afloat in the midst of the swell of tourists that happened to visit on this particular night.<p>

_I can't believe I overslept! _she thought in a panic as she narrowly avoided colliding into a line of kids impatiently waiting under the bright lights to ride the celebrated carousel. She shouted her apologizes without looking back and continued on her way. _I'm in for a big time lecture when I get to work!_

When she arrived at Max's video store, however, she was surprised to see that none of the lights were on and the CLOSED sign was facing out from behind the glass door. Perched up against the side of the building were a couple of her disgruntled co-workers, one of them who didn't even work the night shift. Alarms rang off inside her head.

"What's going on?" she asked as she approached one of the associates, her chest still heaving from all of the running she did. "Where's Max?"

"The hell if I know," the person grunted as he pulled out a bent cigarette from behind his ear and stuck it between his lips. "I just came by to get my paycheck only to find that the store's locked. Doesn't anybody have a key?"

Maria started digging through her purse in response. She hadn't been working at the video store for long - just from late winter on - but Max often told her how much promise she showed. She was getting the hint that he was going to give her more hours soon, especially when he presented her a copy of the store key just the other night, right before he took off for his dinner date.

At last she found that very key and was able to take everyone inside. She hastily turned on all the lights and the electronics, and flipped the OPEN sign over while everyone else got ready. By the time she was able get herself situated and settle down, she was out of breath. She pushed back her hair, wishing she'd brought hair pins or a headband. Her clothes felt sticky against her moist skin and she prayed the AC would sputter to life at any moment. She was leaning against the front counter as customers started milling into the store. The morning employee marched up and slapped his paycheck down in front of her, completely startling her, with his lit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.

"That four eyed bastard cheated me!" he growled as he pointed at the amount written on the check. Ashes fell as he spoke, landing on top of the glass counter. "I worked well over thirty hours last week and that is NOT the amount I should be getting."

"Then why don't you call him and tell him this?" Maria asked drearily, not wanting to put up with his sulkiness, though she was grateful for not being scheduled to work with _this_ guy ever.

"I did! He's not answering his phone! I'll give him a piece of my mind when I see him tomorrow and he'd _better_ be here tomorrow or otherwise I'm gonna sue!"

"Yeah, sure," she mumbled as he snatched his check and marched out of the store. She hastily brushed the ashes aside and frowned.

_What's going on?_

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><p>The rest of the evening went off without a hitch despite the late opening. When Maria finished her shift, she decided to give Max a call but like her co-worker experienced, he didn't picked up. That was when she decided to stop by his home. While he lived clear across town, she thought she would be able to enjoy a brisk walk, considering all the running she did earlier. Away from the boisterous boardwalk, the seaside town was absolutely peaceful. The distant sounds of the ocean was soothing on her nerves and the occasional shrills of people riding on the amusement park rides echoed into the night.<p>

At any rate, most of the murders that occurred in Santa Carla happened on the outer reaches, away from prying eyes.

And speaking of prying eyes…

Maria eventually found herself in the middle of an empty road where the lights were dim and not a soul was in sight. She edged her way to the shadows where once she was properly concealed, she hopped on one foot and took off into the skies, but not before ensuring her purse was secure around her shoulder.

"Screw walking," she said in sing-song voice as she experienced the sensation of flight for the first time in ages. The warm night air felt good against her skin as she soared high above and across the rooftops of town until they gradually morphed into treetops and sandy beaches.

Max lived away from most people but unlike a typical recluse, he maintained a cheery looking home with white walls, picket fences, and a couple of small, cultivated gardens in the front yard - clearly something that should be featured on the cover of the _Better_ _Homes and Gardens_ magazine. Maria stylishly landed on tiptoes just outside of the main gate. She cupped her hands together in front of her mouth and shouted.

"Hello! Max! Are you home?"

Her arms went slack when she didn't receive a response, at least not the one she was expecting. She was greeted by the vicious sounding, almost unearthly snarls of Max's trustworthy dog. Still positioned behind the gate, Maria watched as Thorn slid into view, almost as if he appeared out of thin air. He started charging right at her, with eyes blazing red and saliva dripping from his wolf-like teeth. But when he got close enough to take in her scent, he slowed down until he was practically trotting. He sauntered up to the gate, his eyes shifting back to their normal color, and he finally sat down with his tail wagging.

"Hi, Thorn!" Maria greeted the hellhound with a smile. "Where's Max, boy?"

The dog whined in response and looked behind him once, as if wondering that very same thing, before turning his attention back to her. Maria pressed her lips together before she gracefully climbed over the gate where she patted the top of Thorn's head.

"Poor thing," Maria cooed as she stole a glance at the house just ahead. "Something bad must have happened to Max. He's never late for anything. He wouldn't leave you all alone like this, either. I mean, not for long."

Thorn barked in response, got up, and started to walk around her, content with just going in circles for some reason. Maria tapped her foot on the pavement and thoughtfully tugged on her purse's strap.

"Guess we'll have to play this out, won't we? Can I go inside Max's house? Can we see if he's home?"

She made a move to approach the home when Thorn stopped circling her, drew back his lips, and growled softly, warning her to stay back.

"I guess that's a 'no,' then?" She folded her arms across her chest and scrutinized the large dog. "C'mon, Thorn, if something is wrong with Max, we have to see that he's okay. Besides, I don't know if he's fed you. Don't you wanna eat?"

The dog said nothing but he eased up by sitting himself back down at her feet. Maria examined her nails, realizing they needed a new coat, before she decided to give up on her boss for now. Her stomach growled noisily and her eyes were starting to droop. All the running and flying, not to mention lack of food, wore her out for the day.

"You win tonight, doggie," she declared as she petted him one more time. "I'm coming back tomorrow, though. I just hope Max will show up and give us an explanation for scaring us like this."

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><p>A week went by and there was no further signs of Max. It was as if he disappeared off the face of the earth because nobody, not even the regular customers, could speculate where he went. Despite his warm, fatherly demeanor, Max never discussed his private life so no one could pin down any family or friends of his for clues to his whereabouts. Maria decided to put up missing posters of him all over Santa Carla. She didn't bother going to the police; she didn't see the point if there were countless other missing people in the Murder Capital of the World who couldn't be found by anyone, let alone the law enforcement. It was a feeble attempt to help her employer. Sadly, she knew his poster would be soon covered up by other posters of more missing-presumed-dead individuals missed by their loved ones. Her own conducted search turned up with no leads.<p>

She stopped by Max's home on her way to and from work every night, only to find Thorn all by himself in the front yard, further fueling her worries. He still refused to allow her near the house, his loyalties still tied to Max, even though he was no longer there. So she purchased some dog food from the pet store conveniently located next door to where she stayed. While she wasn't particularly knowledgeable about the beast's diet, he was always content with what she brought him.

What Maria also couldn't help but notice was that the Lost Boys gang hadn't been seen as of late. She had gotten used to them coming into the store every now and again, even though Max forbid them from doing so. Sometimes she'd see them hanging out on the boardwalk or riding their bikes along the sands. She recalled her boss warning her to keep her distance from them because they were troublesome. But in fact, she couldn't call upon any of them ever stealing or vandalizing the merchandise in the store - at least not while she was working.

Yet what troubled her the most was that all four of them _and _Max were nowhere to be found. It was if they collectively decided to skip town without a trace.

Unfortunately it didn't take long for the bank to get wind of the "abandoned" business. They seized the property and everyone lost their jobs. Maria wasn't surprised when she went to work one day and saw that the store was shut down for good. Apparently Max hadn't placed anyone in charge in case anything were to happen to him.

Maria wasn't worried about her future. She was young and charming to be around. She would secure another job elsewhere, even though it would require her to leave the quaint little room she was renting from a nice elderly couple. Oh, how she would miss the beautiful and lively beach atmosphere of Santa Carla.

And the colorful people… the _delicious_ human males that constantly surrounded her… tempting her… Oooh, she salivated at the mere thought of sinking her teeth into their meaty flesh.

Most of all, she would miss Max. He was a nice, funny, and delightful man... For a vampire, of course. He was certainly the most considerate employer she'd ever had. He didn't discriminate against her or judge her by her background. Her high kill count of mortal men meant nothing to Max as long as she could perform simple mathematics, operate a register, and be courteous to the customers. She wished more people were as accepting as him.

Wait, did someone kill him because they learned he was a vampire? He certainly put on a great façade for the humans, but somewhere along the lines, someone must have learned of his true self. Were those Lost Boys vampires too? But then why did all five of them disappear at once? Things certainly didn't start going weird until that red headed woman started working for the store… Ugh, she didn't want to give herself a headache from thinking about the possibilities. She just knew she should leave town soon.

"Oh well," Maria said sorrowfully as she and Thorn stood side by side outside of Max's picket fence under a blanket of stars. She was clad in a simple white blouse and sensible black skirt with a pair of slip on shoes. She appeared as if she was ready to take a walk on the beach with her animal companion.

The house and its property had been promptly seized by the bank and there was a large ugly sign that read "PUBLIC HOME AUCTION - COMING SOON" that was hammered into the middle of one of the gardens, destroying some of the pretty petunias Max was trying to grow. Maria was shocked that the beast from hell didn't try to slaughter any of the humans that entered the premises, until Maria mulled over the situation more. Maybe Thorn finally accepted the fact that Max was never coming back and that there was nothing left for him to guard?

She affectionately scratched the back of the dog's ears. "I'm sure wherever he is, he won't mind me taking care of you, Thorn. Say, you wanna go to San Francisco? I think you'll like it up there. The Golden Gate Bridge will be great for you to take your walks on. Or how about Berkeley? I miss walking up and down Telegraph Avenue. There will be lots of different people to snack on!"

Thorn said nothing as he wagged his tail and studied her curiously. Maria grinned at him as she allowed herself to shift her appearance. Her entire flesh turned blood red as her curly hair instantly straightened and lengthened down past her waist. A pair of onyx, devil-like horns emerged from her forehead as her finger nails grew as long as steak knives and razor sharp. A pair of large, monstrous wings sprouted from her backside, ripping through the back of her blouse in the process. Her eyes became pitch black and when she smiled, a pair of elongated teeth like those of a prehistoric saber-toothed cat protruded from her mouth.

"I was really enjoying myself here, too," Maria remarked wistfully as she knelt down and gathered Thorn into her arms with ease. The dog's tough hide protected him from her thick demon claws.

"I hope there are more equal opportunity employers like Max in the Bay Area. If so, I think you and I will do okay. Good thing I didn't own any personal possessions because this'll be a long flight and you're heavy enough. Say good-bye to Santa Carla, Thorn!"

The hellhound barked a couple of times and was nestled in Maria's arms as she took them up to the vast, open skies and off into the beyond.


End file.
